Banks' Fee Bonanza Dries Up

Changes in Rules and Customer Behaviors Squeeze What Was a Key Source of Revenue

By

James Sterngold

Sept. 2, 2014 7:19 p.m. ET

Banks are making less of their money from customer-account fees than at any time in the past seven decades as strict government rules and changing consumer behavior squeeze a major source of revenue.

After peaking in 2009, the annual account fees collected at U.S. commercial banks have declined markedly, even as the volume of bank deposits has swelled, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The fees have dropped nearly 21%...